II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 59 - "Whom Shall I Fear"

These words to Whom Shall I Fear are going through my mind this morning. This song encourages me to great depths to not give in when the enemy comes knocking but instead to allow God to work in and through me.

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

Yes! He does go before me and He is always by my side. I do not have to fear anything the enemy throws my way. Instead I can stand upon my faith in Him, knowing He will crush the enemy underneath my feet when I allow Him. Sometimes when we are going through times we feel like everyone is against us so we choose to allow our emotions take over instead of allowing God to handle things. We choose to become angry and blame others for our circumstances. We choose to find 'bad' in everyone else instead of admitting the 'bad' in ourselves. 'It's not my fault" is commonly heard by people who would rather wallow in their 'junk' than allow God to take care of it. 'I did nothing wrong' is also a common thing heard by those who try to take care of things themselves instead of turning their problems over to God. Every single day of my life I ask God to cleanse me so He can fill me. I do not want to be doing life on my own but rather I choose to be filled with the Holy Spirit so He can work in and through every aspect of my life. The enemy knows my weaknesses. He also should know by now my strength in Christ. He knows when I hurt in my physical body I can easily turn crabby. He also knows I have to pray more to stay in the right frame of mind so I do not fall to his ways. I know I must go deeper in my prayer life when I feel attacked.

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear

I do not have to fear the enemy but he sure should fear me. I refuse to give him an open door into my life. I will stand upon II Timothy 1:7 so I am empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak and act as He desires. I was reading this morning in Psalm 59:6-10 the song David wrote when his enemies came knocking...

They come out at night,
    snarling like vicious dogs
    as they prowl the streets.
7 Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths;
    their words cut like swords.
    “After all, who can hear us?” they sneer.
8 But Lord, you laugh at them.
    You scoff at all the hostile nations.
9 You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me,
    for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me.
    He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies. (NLT)

Yes! Just as David stood upon God's strength, so will I. Verse nine is key in that David realized the importance of waiting on God. He did not try to manipulate his circumstances but waited on God. That is a key lesson for all to learn. Right before these verses in verse five David paused (selah/interlude). He felt attacked and knew he needed more of God's strength. The word 'night' here is referring to a time of darkness in our lives. It is referring to a time of trials. During the times of 'night' when he comes knocking I pray and pray for God to give me strength. I pray for my attitude and words to be His and not the enemy's. Once again, I refuse to give the enemy an open door into my life. It may seem easier to give into the enemy but the end result is ugly. God is My Salvation. He is the One to sanctify me. He empowers me to be who He desires me to be. Why? Because He has called me to love with His love so others will come into relationship with Him. He has called me to be His servant who not only talks the talk but walks the walk. He has given me strength to overcome many obstacles out before me so I will be an example for others. I may not completely understand why He loves me so much but I will strive to put selahs in my life so He can speak to me and show me the words and actions to take throughout my day. I don't know what the day holds. I know what is on the calendar. I also know my body is hurting and I need restoration in it. I also know whatever He desires of me to do or say will be done in His strength and empowerment. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me so greatly that You empower me to knock the enemy down when he comes knocking! Thank You for giving me opportunities to be Your servant every day! Thank You for the opportunities You put before me yesterday and the ones You will put before me today! Thank You for going before me! Lord, I pray for physical, mental, emotional, financial, and most of all spiritual empowerment in Doc. I pray You will be greater than what he is going through. I also pray You will give us wisdom about whatever is going on with the truck. I pray You will give direction on how to get it fixed. Lord, I pray for the family of the sixteen year old boy that was found dead yesterday. I pray they will lean upon Your strength. I pray for the one I spoke with yesterday who continues to grieve her daughter's death; one who is dealing with disease in her body; one who is overwhelmed with parenting; and one in pain. I pray the words I spoke to them will be remembered throughout this day. May You be greater than the pain in their lives. Thank You Jesus for being the God of Angel Armies in my life! Amen.